Perumpilavu: Day home (Pakalveedu in local parlance), a daycare centre for the elderly, constructed at Kadavalloor Vattamaav, in Thrissur near the Ayurveda dispensary, has remained non-functional for five years despite an investment of ₹10 lakh for its construction.

Initially, the delay was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which postponed the building’s inauguration. During the pandemic, the structure was used to store nearly 300 mattresses and cots brought in for a COVID First Line Treatment Centre. However, long after normalcy returned, the materials remained unclaimed, occupying the space for nearly four years.

The panchayat had repeatedly urged the Revenue Department, which owns these materials, to clear them. Only recently were the mattresses and cots were shifted to another location.

A considerable amount will now need to be spent once again to restore the facility for its intended purpose. Though the panchayat is planning to make the Pakalveedu operational this month, no concrete steps have yet been taken.

Panchayat president P I Rajendran said that plans were in place to add yoga and gym facilities by covering the rooftop with metal sheets. Tender proceedings for the same will be initiated soon, he added.